I know so little about tarot that I'm not even sure how to make 5 quality posts. A lot of the discussions are way over my head lol. There's also a lot of good information in this part of the forums alone, but there's an overwhelming amount for me. It seems I am well and truly The Fool.

 

I suppose that I'd like to know how other people got started, and what they might recommend?

For context, I do have a pip deck. It's an anime themed one.

 

I understand that there is no rush and tarot seems to be something you continue practicing and learning and "mastering" for one's whole life. But I thought it might be helpful (and hopefully okay / not off-topic) to ask some beginner questions here without hijacking someone else's thread...

 

1. I often struggle to know what to ask or inquire. I personally prefer to avoid questions that would be fortune-telling, and I also avoid yes-or-no questions. So far I don't even ask a question really, I more or less ask for something to "consider" or "reflect on" today.

 

2. Whenever I've done a single card reading (haven't even attempted multi-card readings), I have to reference the booklet that came with my deck. Is this... okay to do? On the flip side, to what extent is it okay to just look at a card and interpret it in a more personal, private way that is unique to me? And for lack of a better term, where do the "pre-packaged" meanings come from; is it just general, somewhat non-specific consensus from 100+ years of people doing tarot and working with the same decks and imagery?

 

3. Is this forum a good place for utter beginners like myself, or more for more experienced tarot people? Thanks.

Welcome! From my experience, this forum is great for everybody, no matter where we are right now on our tarot journey. Which is never-ending anyway. 

 

There is no tarot police, whatever you do is okay. Referencing the booklet, or a book, or not doing so at all - it's all okay. The learning effect is maybe greater if you try to do your own interpretation first, write it down and then compare with what's written in the book. But it's not necessary. 

 

The traditional meanings of the cards have developed over time, depending on the time and place the cards were used and who created the deck. There are different traditions; in the English-speaking world, the Waite=Smith tradition is dominant. Its card meanings were not only influenced by tradition but also by astrological associations. If you're interested, you can dive into that knowledge, but many people are good tarot readers without astrological knowledge. 

 

While the meanings of the trump cards are the same in nearly every deck, there is more variation among the suit cards. Each suit has a theme or character of its own, usually based on the four ancient elements, and each numbered card also has numerological associations. All these associations also influence the meaning of the card. 

 

If you don't have questions about your own life, one way of working with the cards is asking questions about historical or fictive characters and situations, but also sports or politics or your own past. Yes-or-No-questions are possible, but you may get better result from open-ended questions. Some people get better results with general questions, others with very concrete questions, you'll have to try this for yourself. 

 

One-card-readings are very useful, and many people recommend starting, like you do, with a card-per-day exercise. Draw it in the morning, look at it, keep it open, and in the evening, ask yourself: did I meet the mood or energy of this card anywhere today? 

 

Simple three-card readings are also great because they give you a bit more information, and you can see how the cards interact. There are tons of ideas for three-card spreads, from Past/Present/Future, Mind/Body/Spirit or Root/Problem/Solution to whatever interests you. Many people work without spread positions and just look at the overall picture the three cards generate. You can simply try every idea that comes to your mind. 

 

Just playing with the cards is a good way of getting to know them. I have always found that picking cards can be as helpful as drawing a card. For example, you can ask yourself: how do I want this job interview to go?, and then go through the deck and take out three or four cards that show the answer. Don't overthink it, just look at them and see what comes up. Then, put these outcome cards together and think about them. There are reasons why you picked them. You may wish to take a picture of these cards together and look at them before and after the job interview. 

 

Who is my mother as a tarot card? my father? my best friend? Again, find the cards without looking at the book. First, pick the card or cards, and only then read about their meanings. 

 

I found the advice of writing everything down to be very useful for me. No matter whether you use a note-taking app or a paper journal, it will help you learn to get the tarot better. You'll keep track of your insights and won't lose them. As a newbie, you have the chance of developing your own associations with the cards, and that's great. 

 

You can also write here on the boards about your card and get input from others. There is a great reading circle for beginners here where you can read for others and get feedback. It's often easier to get a clear reading when you read for a stranger. Reading for ourselves, we all have our biases 😉

 

There are tons of material about the tarot on these boards, online and in books. And it's your choice whether you use it or rely on  your own wisdom and intuition; you can change your focus whenever you want. 

 

The most important thing is to work with a deck that speaks to you with a clear voice, where each card has a distinct character. Nowadays, there are so many decks that it may seem impossible to find one. The usual advice is to stick with a Waite-Smith tradition deck because there are so many good resources about these decks, but many people have started with different decks. Even if everybody loves a certain deck and recommends it - if you find it ugly, dry or uninteresting, you don't have to follow the advice. Tastes differ. 

 

The deck library here on the forum is a great resource if you're looking for a deck that resonates with you. There are also great apps where you can work with different decks to see how they work for you before you invest in buying one. 

 

There is no pressure and no end-of-year exam. Tarot is an open art, and it's a language that anyone can learn. The fun for me is in the learning, not the knowing. Because with every reading, you start anew. 

 

Enjoy the journey! 

@witchcraft if you want to get to 5 posts, you are welcome to reply to people's introduction threads and welcome them as well as this thread 😊

When you are starting out, it's fine to refer to the book. You are learning the cards. You might need to refer to your study materials to learn. It's worth keeping a journal or writing down any ideas you want with the cards. You might take something from the image or it triggers something with you. When you get to 5 posts, you can start a journal thread for yourself here and use it however you want! So you can write your own posts to yourself.

About the forum, you are always welcome to post on old threads that is fine and add to the discussions. Also you are welcome to start your own. Also it's aimed for everyone, so please don't feel overwhelmed. There are all levels here.

Some people read on fiction, like reading a book or watching a TV series? Reading on a character or how will the mystery turn out in the end? Who was the killer? That sort of thing. Can you get the ending with the tarot before you get to it?

Also don't want to overwhelm further but you might find these suggestions helpful @witchcraft

Take anything that's useful from it!

Welcome @witchcraft you are setting out on a wonderful life-long experience where there is always a new discovery.

My advice would be to get a journal for the deck.

• Write what you want the deck to do in the cover or on the first page;

• Shuffle the deck while concentrating on your intention (doing readings which help others, for self development etc). This puts your energy into the cards and puts it out to your spirit guides and teachers etc as to what you'll do with that deck. This may change over time, and you will probably have other deck/s as you grow, but working consistently and deeply with one deck really has power. You can then apply those meanings to other decks.

• Pull a card daily or weekly. Then describe the card in your journal. This way you know the card's imagery, but you can also add ideas about what comes to your mind when you're looking at the card. This will start you off well.

You may not understand why a card means what it does in standard interpretations, but over time you will. To begin with, it needs to make sense to you, which is why journaling will help.

Good luck. Stick with it.

Welcome to our little Tarot corner of this world.

Hi there, @witchcraft Welcome to the forum.

Yeah, it can be quite daunting, I imagine, if you're just starting out. Yikes. I've been on this forum for quite a while now, and still find some of it overwhelming. I guess the trick is to zero in on parts of the forum that are helpful to a person who is not only new to the forum, but new to Tarot as well.

Because you use a pip deck, you will find that you WILL need to refer to your booklet that came with the deck. Pip cards, while decorative, are not easy for a beginner to interpret without reference material. (No pictures to give you an idea of what the card might mean.) So, by all means, use your booklet until you become familiar with your deck.

Either that, or maybe invest in a deck that illustrates all the card meanings? It's a matter of opinion, but my opinion is that it's easier to get started on learning card meanings when a card's meaning is directly illustrated on the card itself. If you like Anime, you can search for decks that employ Anime, but illustrate all the cards. I'm sure they exist. One example is The Mystical Manga Tarot, which has a few flip-through videos on YouTube, showing you what each card looks like.

I have found one particular part of the forum to be very helpful. If you go to the section marked Community at the top of any page, click on that and choose Forums, scroll down to Tarot Talk and Technique, then choose Individual Card Meanings, you will find lots of discussion and information about particular cards. These entries are not in any particular order, so you might have to search a bit for a particular card, but I really enjoy this section of the forum as it's thoughtful, usable, and easy to access.

All the best! :)

Edited Wednesday at 06:31 PM1 day by Chariot
I corrected misinformation due to new forum layout changes